Overview & Reviews

"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz?" That's the opening line of "Mercedes-Benz," a song most famously recorded by singer Janis Joplin in the early 1970s. The tune gently poked fun at materialism and our desire for the finer things in life. It's fitting that the renowned German marque figures prominently in the lyric. Mercedes-Benz has long been known for crafting vehicles that emphasize luxury and refinement. For many, its vehicles are sleek symbols of status, success and good taste.

In January of 1886, Karl Benz unveiled the world's first automobile, a three-wheeled vehicle dubbed the Benz Patent Motor Car. A few months later, Gottlieb Daimler and his chief engineer Wilhelm Maybach rolled out a four-wheeled vehicle powered by his Daimler engine. The first Mercedes was crafted in 1901, shortly after Daimler's death. Built by Maybach, the car was commissioned by Emil Jellinek, one of Daimler's primary distributors, and was ultimately named after Jellinek's daughter, Mercedes.

In 1926, the companies founded by Daimler and Benz merged to form Daimler-Benz AG, and the Mercedes-Benz brand was born. The company's insignia was a three-pointed star wreathed in a laurel; the star was dreamed up by Daimler years earlier, and its three points signified the fact that his engines were used in vehicles that traveled land, air and sea.

Right from the start, the Mercedes-Benz name was synonymous with automotive excellence. One of the automaker's earliest vehicles, the 1931 Mercedes-Benz 170, distinguished itself as the world's first production car to offer a technology that was nothing short of extraordinary for the day: four-wheel independent suspension. The '30s and '40s saw Mercedes establishing itself as the brand of choice for car buyers seeking the ultimate in luxury, thanks to coveted cruisers like the 380 and 540K.

The 1950s witnessed the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing," a sports car that has been described as being the world's first supercar. With its dramatic styling and race-bred technology, the 300 SL reigns today as a classic coveted by collectors worldwide. The decade also saw Daimler-Benz making strides in the area of safety technology. The company's Mercedes-Benz 220 sedans were the first vehicles to incorporate its patented "crumple zone" body design, created to absorb impact in the event of a crash.

In 1963, the company cemented its reputation as the home of automotive luxury with the launch of the Mercedes-Benz 600. The elegant, luxurious sedan was also available as a limousine and featured an ahead-of-its-time air suspension system and a V8 engine that boasted 300 horsepower. The decade also saw the launch of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3. This full-size sedan went from zero to 60 in under seven seconds, distinguishing itself as the quickest luxury car is its day.

The 1970s saw the birth of the brand's storied S-Class line of vehicles, opulent sedans and coupes that coddled passengers with powerful engines and a long list of luxury features. The decade also saw Mercedes continuing on the cutting edge of safety technology, by being the first to offer antilock brakes in its vehicles.

Daimler-Benz's safety advancements continued in the 1980s. Its cars were the first to offer airbags and traction control. The manufacturer also raised the bar in terms of ride comfort and handling when it introduced multilink rear suspension. The technology debuted on the compact Mercedes-Benz 190 E, and it remains a vital component of the company's chassis engineering to this day.

Mercedes-Benz vehicles got an extra dose of power and performance in the 1990s, thanks to the manufacturer's partnership with AMG, a performance and tuning shop that was eventually purchased by the company to help produce ultra-high-performance versions of some of its vehicles. The first AMG model offered in the U.S. was the sporty C36 AMG in 1995; since then, Mercedes has gone on to offer an AMG-tuned version of almost all of its vehicles.

The company's current lineup is the most comprehensive in its history. With a variety of sedans, coupes, SUVs and roadsters filling Mercedes showrooms, it seems like the only thing missing is a pickup truck. Surely, the fact that Janis Joplin's song holds as much relevance today as it did four decades ago is a strong indicator that the brand's premier status is still very much intact.

User Reviews:

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  Mechanical piece of junk - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Suku - November 25 - 10:00 am

  My ML320 model 2001 is a shame to the SUV market. I had to take it back for warranty works 11 times in 3 years. Power switch console broke and replaced 3 times. Front windows jammed twice. Rear hatch door rattle fixed twice. Stalling still a problem after two services. Battery died every year. Power door locks broke three times. It is a junk. I wont buy another mercedes ever. Wrote to Mercedes several times. There was not response in the last three years.

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  Never Again - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Vince - October 18 - 4:06 pm

  The quality of these cars is not better than a Ford. For $73,000 I would have expected this car to be in the same league as a BMW or Lexus and its not.

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  Expensive. Not worth it! - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By j - August 26 - 4:40 am

  Purchased this as a Starmarked vehicle with extended warranty. Have had more problems and needed repairs for a vehicle that cost as much as this did. Brakes have a squeal that our current dealer has checked at least 3 times and claim that nothing is wrong. Had the glue on the doors melt onto the windows. Now have multiple broken gadgets. Windshield wiper fluid tubes are rotten. I dont open the sunroof anymore because there is a suspicious cracking noise when it opens. The front seals at the windows are degrading, leaking water with rainshowers. Time to get a new car. Never again a Mercedes.

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  very disappointed - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By hatethecar - July 26 - 2:00 am

  Because if my work, I put alot of miles on a car and need reliability as well as comfort. The reliability factor is certainly present, however, the cars interior is very uncomfortable for anyone over 57". I feel like Im in a tuna can. The seats are uncomfortable and the interior space is small and not well designed. I really dislike driving this car and hope to get rid of it as soon as possible. One other glaring mistake made by MB is the fact the the interior colors are so light its impossible to maintain particularly the flooring area. RIDICULOUS!

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  I got the lemon - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By ed - July 16 - 6:36 am

  Nothing but problems since day 2 of ownership. The first 30 days car was in shop for repairs 33% of the time.

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  too many issues with ML320 - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By omar804 - June 24 - 4:14 pm

  worst car i have owned, its always something with it, always issue pops up, 1st it was the door locks keeps poping up and down on their own, than it stalls, i had change the fuel filter, and now its not clicking on the first try, and the parts are expensive and maintenance is expensive as well. from what i heard

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  Engine gaskets are lowest quality! - 1995 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By uberthom - June 11 - 3:56 pm

  I bought this car because I thought the 95 gave Mercedes 10 years to perfect the 300E. I was wrong. At 65,000 miles the engine gaskets are made of the worst quality materials and I have more than a few engine leaks. This is unacceptable. I am now facing a $1,200 expense to replace the head gasket and the replacement part is made of the same inferior material. This is the reason Mercedes has PLUMMETED in customer satisfaction. I plan to buy a LEXUS and I hope Mercedes goes out of business. They cannot even provide their customers with the $10 in materials it would take to solve this problem. They had to choose the $2 materials instead.Disgraceful and shameful!

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  MB Makes Strategic Mistake with E Class - 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By John Barenson - June 6 - 4:16 pm

  I have been a loyal BM owner for the past 15 years. Aside from owning or leasing MBs we have also had our share of BMW, Audi & Porsche. Needless to say that we are suckers for German Engineering. During this time I can recall that we always had an E class in the household foe us to drive. We currently have a 2015 E350 coupe which we all absolutely love. Upon bringing our vehicle to get service at our local MB dealership we were provided with a 2017 E300 as a loaner for a couple of days. Wow! I do not know where to start. Let me start by saying that the previous generation E class was by far the best MB ever produced. In total we had 4 of these vehicles and never had an issue with any of them. They were still built like mini tanks. Unfortunately, my first impression of the new 2017 E is that it drives like a hybrid. It is a complete and utter travesty to put a 4 cyl engine into this car. Newsflash MB, the E class is not your entry level model. But it gets worse as the vehicle I was provided had only 2k miles on it and parts of the dash were not assembled correctly and still had clear glue residue on the wood and plastic areas. And yes, lots and lots of plastic. The dash and console are very flimsy and have way too much movement when applied minimal pressure. This will be an issue with rattles in the future. The gauges are facing outward instead of inward which posed a problem while driving. Overall, the dashboard does not flow at all. It is 2 gauges with a big screen in the center. Very original. Can say for the rest since I only had the car for a few days but I was sure happy to receive my car back. I am still scratching my head guys. Sure enough sales on this model will be severely impacted by the poor quality of materials, engine choice, and performance. Expect a redesign and engine modification in 2 years.

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  Bad wheel quality on MB E350 - 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By QBY - May 20 - 7:56 am

  We bought one certified pre-owned 2009 E350 at MB Encino, California on 3/27/2010. Only drive about one month and 860 miles, there is a front tire pressure problem that was caused by a crack inside of the wheel (rim). We drive this new car very carefully, never hit anything since there is no damage on the outside wheel, also how to we hit or damage inside of the wheel? That is a parts quality problem. MBs warranty should cover it but they dont. Please think about MBs wheel quality, before you plan to purchase a MB, since we found couple cases report about it already. Also, MBs customer service is not friendly, do not answer customer phone call, and do not care customer concern.

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  Paint and body work worst than anything - 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By Calcium - April 24 - 2:16 am

  Dont buy Mercedes. I have S550 and GLK350 Both purchased new. The S550 got very bad transmission when shift in automatic from 2nd to 3rd gear. Engine vibrate and shake the whole car when unexpected. Rear tires only last 10K miles. it always wear out in the center, I use recommended tire pressure of 35psi. GLK350 Very bad paint job. The clear coat got dust all over the car. The hood gap on left and right are at least 1/2 different. Its a brand new car, this kind of gap only happens on car with front end accident. You dont expect these problem from brand new Mercedes!